As we enter into the first weeks of January, I hope this new year has been off to a good start for you. For many people, the new year feels like a natural time to start things fresh and maybe try something new. Of course, that’s partly because December is a great time to let ourselves go and enjoy, and I hope you had a chance to do that as well over the Christmas season! But this is the time of year when our social media, WhatsApp, and emails are filled with how-to’s on starting that new thing, sticking to that new plan, or the five easy steps to meet your 2026 goals.
While I’m sure that all of us appreciate the feeling of a new beginning that January brings, we also know that the new year is also more symbolic than anything. There isn’t much that actually resets in our lives in the new year. In fact, many of us may have entered the new year a bit heavy. Maybe the end of 2025 was a challenging time. Maybe there are questions left unanswered, or pressures that seem to have no resolution. As much as it is a new year, we may be facing old challenges.
If that’s the case, maybe this new year is the time for a new perspective and a fresh hope. Our theme for 2025 was fruitfulness, and toward the end of the year something that I realized was that much of the fruitfulness that appeared over the year was because of seeds that had been planted years earlier. Many of us can recognize what good fruit looks like. But something we don’t often appreciate is how long it takes to grow truly good fruit.
I think one good example comes from Philippians 4:6-7, which was one of our memory verses in 2025.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
As I was speaking about this verse at the end of the year, what dawned on me is that this verse is essentially talking about fruit. This passage is one of the closing statements that Paul and Timothy make in their letter to the church in Philippi. It is an encouragement and an exhortation to the people. Paul and Timothy want to encourage them to stand firm in the Lord, and keep a spirit of rejoicing.
While reading the verse may give us some comfort, we also understand that agreeing with the verse won’t instantly relieve our anxieties. I think what the verse shows us is that there is a path to not being anxious about anything. There is a way to live where we are not anxious about anything. But that result is the fruit of our walk with the Lord. It is the result of choosing to listen well and obey quickly, over and over again, until God brings us to a place where we no longer need to worry. It is a place where our trust in God and our faith has grown much larger than our fears.
So while this year may begin with the same burdens as last year, there is no reason why we need to go through 2026 with the same anxiety. Instead, we can accept God’s challenge to walk a little bit closer with Him, to listen a little bit better, and obey a little more quickly. And as we do, I truly believe we will begin to see fruit from verses like Philippians 4:6-7 as it becomes a reality in our life.